CE Marking and the Construction Industry – It’s the LAW

Posted onJuly 14, 2014|Comments Off on CE Marking and the Construction Industry – It’s the LAW

What does it mean?

The CE mark originally stood for ‘Communauté Européenne’ which is French for ‘European Community’ and gives you the confidence that the product complies with the relevant manufacturing standard for that product.

Seen it before?

We all take for granted, the CE marking symbol on our electrical goods around our home, the kettle in our kitchen, the TV in our lounge. We can still remember Trading Standards appearing on consumer programmes warning us to check for the CE mark on the toys we bought for our children.

Trading Standards now have a new regulation to enforce, the Construction Product Regulation (CPR).

What does the CPR say?

It states that if a construction product is covered by a harmonised standard (hEN) or European Technical Assessment (ETA) and forms part of a permanent structure within the European Union then that product MUST be CE marked.

It is not voluntary but a legal requirement throughout the construction supply chain.

Failure to comply could result in suspension notices, prohibition notices, fines or even imprisonment.

When will it be enforceable?

The Construction Products Regulation (CPR) became a legal requirement in July 2013 for construction products such as the steel material, structural bolts, cladding and windows etc. and then in July 2014 for fabricated steelwork that fall under the harmonised standard BS EN 1090, this covers steel and aluminum structures such as steel buildings, bridges, purlins/rails and stairs etc.

As a client/main contractor – how do I comply?

The client /main contractor should carry out due diligence and only appoint contractors that can provide evidence of compliance to ensure the products that need to be CE marked are and that the steelwork contractor has the correct Execution Class equal to that required for the project.

How can REIDsteel help the client/ main contractor?

REIDsteel is a design and build company with over 90 years of trading, successfully completing projects in over 145 countries.

We already hold the correct certification to demonstrate our right to CE mark and these certificates can be found HERE.

Our Factory Production Control (PFC) and our Welding certification allows us to design and build projects from Execution class one to four, four being the highest achievable class.

As REIDsteel provides a complete building package from the holding down bolts, steel structure, cladding, windows and doors, we have already vetted over 200 suppliers to ensure our products comply with the regulation.

Together with our certification for our Quality Management System ISO 9001:2008 you can be rest assured that you are in safe hands and staying on the right side of the law.

So what makes REIDsteel so different (stand out from the crowd)

We hold the key to your success, our in-house team.

The design, steel, cladding and glazing draughtsmen, together with certified responsible welding coordinator RWC (a legal requirement), skilled fabricators and erection teams are all employed by REIDsteel, we already know each other, we already know what each other needs and expects, we all get together at the start of the project and most importantly, we are all there at the finish.